Baby Danes
by WizMonCruWil
Summary: I came up with this AU idea for the Revival. What if Lorelai and Luke did decide to have a baby? How would April and Rory help them with that? Read to find out! Note: this begins during the original series, when April first shows up. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: Most Beautiful Creature

**Chapter 1: Most Beautiful Creature**

Luke Danes tapped his foot deeper into the accelerator, speeding back to Stars Hollow in some halfway land between blind panic and a hazy fog. He supposed this must be what someone feels like if they had something fall out of the sky and hit them in the head. Only there had been no Chicken Little to give him any kind of warning. Man, did he wish he had had at least some of that. Man, did fate really love to mock him.

He was a father... that little girl in the godforsaken bike helmet was his daughter...

Seeing his face (it certainly wasn't his best picture; he'd had school portraits that looked better) circled on that tri-fold board, and her name proudly printed across the top, his mind had whirled back close to fifteen years, to a time when his father had recently departed this Earth and so had Rachel and he had no one and was not yet content to be so alone. That tall drink of water, Anna Nardini, had waltzed into town from nearby Woodbridge and swept him into bed. A few weeks of shared pain, turning to each other... but it hadn't lasted.

Except in the form of this little girl. An enduring legacy in the last place he had expected to leave one.

Luke was pulling up beside the Diner now. He hopped out of the truck before the vehicle had even slowed to a complete stop, the stick shift barely snapping into PARK, such was his haste to get out. For there he saw her, coming up the sidewalk, passing Dosse's infernal Candy Shoppe. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen, and the love of his life. She was heading towards the diner, to see him, presumably.

Lorelai Gilmore's face brightened into a beaming smile when she saw him. Luke sprinted towards her, seizing her hand and dragging her into the back lot of the diner.

"Luke, what... Mmmm..." Luke silenced her with the strongest kiss he could muster, kissing the breath out of her body again and again. He needed her. He needed her and her pop culture references and her mile-a-minute brain and her goddamn hair flip right now like he needed air to breathe.

"Well, good morning to you too, mister," Lorelai giggled when he finally let her up. "What's going on?"

"Lorelai, do you love me?" Luke scanned her face pleadingly.

"Sure, the way I also love George Clooney whenever he bends over..."

"I'm being serious: do you love me?"

Lorelai's eyes peered at him searchingly, filled with concern and deep affection, her one hand gently resting on his chest. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. Except maybe for Rory, but I think you guys are tied." She frowned at him. "Babe, what is it? You're scaring me..."

Luke took a deep breath. If they were going to get married, there could not be any secrets. They had to be completely honest about their pasts... and whatever came with that. "I have a child," he got out.

Lorelai's baby blues blinked at him for a moment, not understanding. And then, comprehension dawned, and she put a hand to her mouth in disbelief. "Oh my God, you finally reproduced!"

The way she said it, Luke braced himself for the inevitable mockery of all mockerys, vintage Lorelai Gilmore teasing, crowing about how the man who once professed to hate every kid on planet Earth save for Rory Gilmore was now a father himself. Surprisingly, this did not happen, although it did take a moment for the million-watt grin to leave her face. Lorelai now rubbed his arm soothingly. "What's the little tyke's name?"

It happened without him thinking. Luke's face widened into a genuine smile, almost a lovesick one. He had only ever smiled like that at the gorgeous woman in his arms. "Her name's April. She's twelve. She's so beautiful."

"When did this happen?"

"Her mom's an old fling of mine from back in the '90s."

"'90s? What part of the '90s? Cause you know, that was quite an acid trip of a decade. Lewinsky. OJ and the Bronco. Ross Perot. Every boy band ever. It was jammed..."

"Let's go with the 'Read my lips' part of the '90s," Luke deadpanned.

"So, Drinky McDumbass's Daddy was President?"

"Yup."

"Wouldn't be prudent," Lorelai threw her voice to sound crinkly.

"Huh?" Luke frowned.

"Watch Dana Carvey on SNL; you'll get the reference."

Luke slipped his arms about Lorelai's waist. Smirking, she draped her arms about his neck and kissed him chastely. "Would you... like to meet her?" he asked tentatively.

"Babe, of course I do. I'm gonna be her stepmother, after all." She played with the nape of his neck. "I bet she looks a lot like you."

"God help me," Luke's voice rumbled low in his throat. He kissed Lorelai soundly, pouring his appreciation at her understanding into the kiss. "God, I love you, crazy lady."

For once, Lorelai didn't come back with a joke. "I know," she whispered. Stepping out of the embrace, she dialed her cell. "Rory? Get down here! I have news! Like, real news! News that would make your Yale paper and CNN and Fox and MSNBC all spontaneously combust! Yeah, OK, see you!" Clicking the phone shut, she turned back to her boyfriend. "So... how did this 'Who's Your Daddy' reunion happen anyway?"

"Aw, jeez..." Luke groaned.

"Too soon? Still Dirty," Lorelai grinned. "Ok, enough: tell me, tell me!"

"So, this little girl comes tearing into my diner wearing this crazy bike helmet. Starts yammering on about a science fair and DNA tests..."

* * *

"So you can bike down from Woodbridge this evening?" Luke beamed into the phone receiver. "OK, and I'll make sure you can get back. I'll drive you back myself before your mom gets worried. All right, April. I... I love you." His heart leapt at saying that for the first time to his child. "Bye." He hung up and turned back to serving coffee for his customers, all the while anxiously looking at the clock and counting down the minutes until he would see her again...

* * *

That evening, the Diner was closed and empty except for Luke and April. The father was wiping down the counters, while the daughter sat at one end, absorbed in a book. A sudden knock shook both out of their reverie. Luke smiled broadly when he saw who it was. Bounding to the closed door, he opened it to usher the Gilmore girls in.

"April," he called over his shoulder. "Come here, I want to you meet some folks."

April trotted over, straightening her glasses up the bridge of her nose. Luke flung an arm around Lorelai. "This is my fiancé, Lorelai Gilmore. She's going to be your stepmother. And this is her daughter, Rory, your soon-to-be stepsister."

April held out a hand politely and shook with both Lorelai and Rory. "Pleased to meet you." But for the first time since he had met her, Luke noticed that her usual confidence was gone. A clear vulnerability now shone on her face. Indeed, she now turned to her father and pronounced, "Wow, Daddy: they're really pretty. Prettier than me, anyways." Her gaze dropped to her feet.

Luke stared at her, transfixed. He wasn't sure where this was coming from, but he had a hunch. Did April think there was no room for her? Sure, Lorelai and Rory were pretty astounding women, but that didn't mean April wasn't also.

Luke now knelt before his daughter, hands grasping her shoulders. "Yeah, they're both great to look at, sure, but... to me... you're the most beautiful creature I've ever seen," and his voice whispered with a deep, emotionally crippling intensity. Luke felt like he was about to cry. Was this what it was like to be a parent? To fall in love instantaneously and feel like the sun rose and set on your child's shoulders? That nothing was more perfect? He had never felt this wave of... unconditional love for anyone. Well, maybe for Rory. And maybe for Jess. But those cases were different... weren't they?

Behind him, Lorelai and Rory were frantically dabbing at their eyes. "I refuse to ruin my mascara!" Lorelai squeaked.

Luke now pulled April in for a hug. "Start talking: what do you like to do? What makes you tick? I want to know everything!"

April smiled shyly. "I like science. And I'm on my swim team at school."

Luke vowed to buy every single book on swimming and swim meets that he could get his hands on, watch every Michael Phelps video in existence. He wasn't going to miss a single meet! And he knew he would have to start watching those science shows - every program from _How to Universe Works_ to _Sid the Science Kid_. April was wicked smart, that much was clear - Rory-level smart. She definitely did not get that from him; that had to be all Anna.

"Oh, and Mom and I are big-time Democrats!"

Luke burst out laughing, tickled and enchanted by this young, precocious girl. Behind him, he heard Lorelai chuckle. "Don't worry, kid - we all bleed Blue too, even your Daddy." Her gaze now shifted to Luke. "Honey? Can I talk with you for a moment? Upstairs?"

"Come on, April - you can help me study," Rory offered, knowing her college textbooks would keep them both busy, as Luke and Lorelai headed up to the loft. As soon as they were alone, Lorelai yanked Luke to her and gave him a bruising kiss on the mouth, nearly bashing her tongue down his throat.

"I love you, Luke Danes," she whispered into his lips, her voice strangely hoarse, and he trembled in her embrace. He leaned back out of the kiss, eyes wide.

"You really don't mind? What I said?"

"Why would I mind? Babe, if you had given any other answer, I would have had to kill you and hide the body. She's a part of you, Luke, so I can't help but love her just as much as I love you. Besides," and she grinned impishly, "I always wanted another child. A sibling for Rory to play with. She may be quite a caboose, and she may not have popped out of me, but hey, I'll take it."

Luke kissed her deeply. "I love you, crazy lady."

"I love you, too."


	2. Chapter 2: Eleven Years Later

**Chapter 2: Eleven Years Later**

It was a quiet winter's night in Stars Hollow. Luke Danes was busy closing up his diner, flipping the chairs upside down. Meanwhile, his girlfriend of many years, Lorelai Gilmore, entered the eatery; Luke had given her a spare key long ago. She made a beeline for behind the counter, noticing the stacks of papers and books.

"Wow, what's all this?" she marveled.

"What?"

"Dictionary, thesaurus, Mathematical Principles of... Natural Philosophy... Awww, you got a letter from April!" There, that explained it!

"I was two hours into deciphering it, and then I got your call," Luke chuckled.

"Hello, Peter!" Lorelai chirped.

"Father: British or Latin. She used the word 'ontological' three times; she used it the last time too, and I looked it up and then I forgot it again and then you called."

"Well, that's what you get for spawning an MIT-going genius!"

"Yeah, well, Rory's smart - she speaks like she _doesn't_ need subtitles!" Luke huffed.

"She grew up with me. She learned all her language skills via The Breakfast Club," Lorelai grabbed herself a mug. "Hey, how old is this coffee?"

"Ollllllddddd," Luke drew out, hoping she'd put it down. He should have known better. Lorelai could drink any coffee, old or right out of the Keurig.

"Oh well," she took a sip anyway. "Hey, Luke?" she prodded even as she reached under a glass stand for a doughnut.

"What are you doing?"

"Eating sprinkles."

"Wait... uh, never mind," Luke waved her away. Lorelai had eaten unhealthy foods and survived this long; he figured she had nothing to worry about.

"Uh, did I tell you? Michelle's husband, Frederick, wants a baby."

"Frederick? The guy who came in and ordered three pancakes on three separate plates? The town oughta pitch in and buy another pig. I can't watch this anymore..." Luke threw the doughnut away even as his girlfriend laughed at his dry humor.

"Hey Luke... did you ever want a kid?"

Luke looked up from where he was diving into his paperwork. He shrugged, thrown by the question. "I have a kid."

"No, I mean a fresh kid."

"What the hell is a fresh kid?" Kids were humans, not pieces of fruit!

"A kid that's fresh. A kid... with me," Lorelai made explicit. "We never did have a serious conversation about it, I don't think. That one night at the Twickam house, but since then..."

"Well..." Luke picked up, trying to wade into this as delicately as he could. "I figured if you wanted another kid, you would... say something."

Lorelai gawked, putting down the sugar she had been pouring into a coffee filter. "I figured if _you_ wanted another kid, _you'd_ say something!"

"I brought it up once!"

"When?"

"Five, six years ago!"

"I don't remember!"

"We were at that Little League game! There was that kid playing right field, and he walked off in the middle of the inning to use the bathroom, and I turned to you and I said, 'That's the kid.'" Luke pointed into thin air for emphasis.

Lorelai stared at him.

"That's the kid?..."

"Yes!"

" _'That's the kid'_ is your way of saying you want to have a kid?"

"In so many words!" Luke affirmed almost proudly.

"No. _'That's the kid'_ is not you saying you want to have a kid! _'That's the kid'_ is you acknowledging that that's the kid who's standing there about whom you just said _'That's the kid'_!" She made this distinction at the speed of a tongue twister.

"I thought you knew what I was getting at!"

"Impossible, because I don't speak 'Huh?'" Lorelai mocked.

"Well... that's what I thought, and... you didn't pursue it, so..."

"It was up to me to pursue it?" Lorelai questioned.

"No... sorry..." The couple lapsed into a momentary silence.

"Well, how do you feel about it now?" Lorelai tried again.

"What?"

She sighed, amused at his lack of attentional skills. "Do you still want a kid?"

"Oh, well, I mean... isn't it... too late?"

"I don't know," Lorelai shrugged honestly.

"Look, forget it. I have kids. I have April, and... I've always considered... Rory to be a little bit mine." He said this last part almost sheepishly, as if he was embarrassed. Lorelai didn't know why. On the contrary, she found it quite adorable; Luke claiming her daughter as partially his. Luke was never a warm and fuzzy person to begin with, so his flashes of sentimentality were always an endearing thing to behold.

"Yeah, but she was so much fun to raise!" Lorelai stressed, recalling the years that Luke would feed her and Rory before they began their day; she at work, Rory at school. "Don't you want to have that kind of fun?"

"I have _plenty_ of fun! Look at all the chairs I get to put on tables!" Luke deflected dryly.

"You don't want to toss a ball around with your son?" Lorelai could imagine herself and Luke having a little boy. She'd always secretly wanted Rory to have a little brother.

"There's Jess," Luke offered up.

"I said toss a ball _with_ , not _at_ ," she volleyed back.

"I'm fine."

"You'll never get to see your own kid's graduation..."

"I went to Rory's graduation," Luke pointed out, becoming more confident in his paternal influence on Rory's life.

"It's not the same," Lorelai shook her head sadly.

"I know it's not the same," and Luke's voice was unusually tender, consoling.

"I just don't want you to miss out on anything..."

"Yeah, well, nobody gets to have everything they want in life. All in all? I think I did pretty good," Luke smiled at her genuinely. The love of his life was finally with him. He had a brilliant biological daughter, and another daughter he had adopted in all but deed. What more could he want?

Lorelai gave him the sweetest stare imaginable. "Can you at least think about it?" she whispered.

Luke breathed through his nose as he pondered. "All right. I'll think about it."

* * *

Little did the couple know that someone had been watching them, while she was home from business in London. Rory Gilmore now hurried up the street, away from the Diner, past the Gazebo... she had to make it home before her mother and pretty-much-stepfather did. As she sped-walked back towards Number 37, Maple Street, she pulled out her iPhone and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello?"

"Hi, April, it's me, Rory," Rory told her pretty-much-stepsister. "Listen, I know you're busy with your last semester at MIT, but I have big news."

"Oooh, did Berkeley discover a new particle for the Periodic Table again?"

"Uh... no..." Rory frowned. Even after a decade, some of April's quirks could still throw her for a loop. She sometimes wondered if April wasn't just her multiplied by... well, by way too much. She was very nerdy, Luke's daughter, but sweet. "My mom and your dad are talking about having a baby!"

"Good. You know how hard it is to get cheap porn on the Internet?"

"April, this is serious! And... just Ewww. Gross. This is our parents we're talking about! Now, my mom really wants one, and your dad... is thinking about it."

"You're surprised by that? The last time my dad had a kid, it was a complete accident and he didn't know about me for twelve years."

"That wasn't your fault..."

"How do you feel about this?" April transitioned way too sharply.

"Uh... I really think they should go for it."

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. "So, the big hurdle is convincing Dad to pull the trigger."

"Dirty," Rory muttered under her breath.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing!"

"I'll go work my magic and research adoption, surrogacy possibilities."

"OK, call me back."

* * *

Later that night, Rory was sequestered in her childhood bedroom. She called April via FaceTime.

"What have you got?"

"Adoption looks very promising, lots of orphanages across Connecticut. Actually, Dad and Lorelai could still conceive naturally, but they would have to move fast. According to some averages, your mom has approximately 5-7 years left before she hits menopause."

"I did not need to know that," Rory winced.

"Did you know surrogacy is a booming industry in the Northeast? And IVF has built up quite a market too..."

At the mention of this last route, Rory broke into a scheming smile. "Put the natural conception on the back burner, for now. As for surrogacy... I think I know a gal who can help with that."


	3. Chapter 3: Paris for the Assist

**Chapter 3: Paris for the Assist**

Rory and April sat in the lobby of Dynasty Makers, leafing quietly through brochures. April had agreed to hop a flight home for the weekend from MIT. The surrogacy corporation had certainly developed an impressive reputation - and, Rory noted with a smile, that could only be because of the woman at the helm...

The office door besides them opened, and Paris Geller in all her put-together glory stepped out, stilettos clicking, pantsuit perfectly pressed. Her tough-as-nails demeanor slipped from her face for a rare moment, as she warmly greeted her dear friend.

"Rory! Do come in!"

Paris led the two young women into her office. "Thanks for squeezing us in on such short notice, Paris."

"Oh, please - anything for you! Now, I rarely act as a personal liaison anymore, and I had several staffers who wanted to take this on, but I said, 'That woman was practically my second mother! No one else is handling this case.' Ask Lorelai - she can confirm I said that. After all, she was here a few weeks ago."

Well, _this_ was news. Rory blinked. "My mother was here?"

"Yes, she and her lumberjack sex toy were here a few weeks ago. I showed them some of our best stock. Didn't get the answers I wanted from Mr. Paul Bunyan about how 'the boys' are doing, so the speak, but..."

"Well, I'm sitting right here. Sounds to me like 'the boys' are doing just fine," April offered up.

Paris now seemed to notice April's presence for the very first time. "And who might you be?"

"Oh, Paris, this is April Nardini, Luke's daughter."

Paris's eyes gleamed, even as they also widened in shock. "So the grunting he-man _has_ reproduced!" She turned to Rory. "When were you gonna tell me about this? And how," she swiveled back to April, "pray tell, did I never see you wandering around that Disney Pop-Up book our little princess calls a town?"

"Well, Luke didn't find out about her until she was twelve," Rory explained.

"A love child!" Paris crowed. "A storyline ripped straight out of a Collin Trevorrow movie! Can't you just hear the customers? 'Hey, Casanova that's not what I meant when I said I wanted cream and sugar with that'..."

April frowned, before leaning over to Rory and whispering, "Is she always like this?"

"Oh, trust me: you ain't seen _nothing_ yet." Rory quickly changed the subject. "Paris, um, maybe you can't say this because of client privilege or something, but... how receptive were our parents about surrogacy?"

"Luke didn't seem to get that he doesn't have to go hee-hawing with any of these women to get them knocked up, and he may have seemed a little put out by 'the boys' question. But Lorelai was receptive. They seemed fine," Paris shrugged.

Rory knew better. Paris didn't know Luke like she did. Rory knew her stepfather could get easily flustered in high-pressure situations, especially when the attention was all on him. "Have you thought about... the IVF route for them?"

Paris's brow furrowed as she pondered the question. "Dynasty Makers does provide those kinds of services, though it is not used as often. To go that route with a woman Lorelai's age... there are risks involved. The chances of conception alone are low."

"But not as low as trying to naturally conceive," Rory pointed out.

"Oh, of course, how could I forget? You're Rory Gilmore, having already researched everything! You could practically take over my job!" Paris shook her head. But her eyes were twinkling.

"It's just that... April and I think this would be the best option for our parents, and especially for Luke. It would make him the most comfortable," Rory emphasized. "Please, Paris: can you help us?"

Paris nodded. "For you guys: anything." She tapped her fingers over the keys of her laptop, jotted down some notes on a pad before ripping the sheet off and handing it to April. "Have Lorelai call me to schedule an appointment and we'll bring her in to begin the procedure."

"You're the best, Paris!" Rory smiled as they stood up to leave. "Say hi to Doyle and the kids!"

"Will do," Paris grinned.

* * *

As soon as the girls got back in the car to drive home, Rory began to wonder if this was a bad idea. Trying for a baby was a very private matter between her parents (yes, she sometimes used that collective - Luke had been the only real father she had ever known). Would they be angry about their daughters butting in like this?

So it was that Rory was bouncing her leg nervously that Saturday night at dinner. Luke had cooked his daughter's favorite meal, thrilled that April had surprised them with a visit. Finally, Rory bravely procured the paper confirming the IVF appointment and held it out to Lorelai.

"April and I went to see Paris today. About some surrogacy possibilities for you guys, but also IVF options. We scheduled an appointment for you. If you're not cool with it, it can be cancelled, no harm, no foul." She blushed crimson. "I overheard you guys that night in the Diner, talking about having a baby. And... I speak for April as well when we say we want you guys to have this chance."

Lorelai was quiet for a moment. Rory winced, waiting for her to blow up, plunge into some pop-reference laden rant about how women's bodies shouldn't be controlled, cussing out Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell and the rest of the GOP, etc, etc, etc...

But instead, the elder Gilmore's eyes filled with tears. "This is... the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me, kid. Oh... come here!"

Mother and daughter embraced. April watched the exchange with a small smile, and figuring the two needed to be alone, tried to pussyfoot away from the table without being excused. Instead, Lorelai dragged her into a hug too.

"Darling... thank you!"

Luke smiled dryly. "I hope the baby's a girl... so she can be as sweet as her sisters!"


	4. Chapter 4: Baby Danes

**Chapter 4: Baby Danes**

Lorelai took the IVF appointment. When it was confirmed that she and Luke had successfully conceived, she burst into tears of joy, calling it a miracle without a hint of Gilmore humor or irony. Luke treated her like she was the most precious diamond on Earth, catering to his wife's every whim (the couple finally got married during the summer) and kissing her stomach whenever he could.

At last, around Thanksgiving, the baby Danes was born. And... it was a boy, much to everyone's surprise! Lorelai had wanted to wait until the big moment to find out the sex of the baby. Luke was over the moon that he had a son. Lorelai named him Richard... to remind her.

And Rory and April? They were relieved that their parents were finally with each other, where they belonged. And both could agree: it felt nice to have siblings!


End file.
